Saving Grace
by drgemini86
Summary: Sam comes to terms with what the hallucinations were trying to tell her, but will she act on their words? Sequel to Finding Grace. Tag to Grace. SamJackish, SamDaniel
1. Chapter 1

_**Saving Grace, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)**_

_**Summary: **Sam comes to terms with what the hallucinations were trying to tell her, but will she act on their words? Sequel to Finding Grace. Tag to Grace. SamJackish, SamDaniel_

_**Pairings: **SamJack (a little), SamDaniel_

_**Rating: **T_

_**Category: **New Romance_

_**Genres: **A/U, Angst, Drama, Episode-Related, Friendship, Relationship-focussed, Romance-focussed, Thoughts_

_**Series: **Preceded by Finding Grace_

_**Spoilers: **Anything from season 1 to 7 is fair game_

_**A/N: **Sequel to Finding Grace. It might be advisable to read that before this for this to make some sense at least_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

At a late hour, Sam unlocked the front door of her house, feeling as though she was entering someone else's house. She hadn't seen the domicile for over a week; a time period which consisted of a botched attempt to observe a cloud; four days and possibly more of concussion and vivid hallucinations; working out a way to get the crew back from the mysterious alien ship; saving an interstellar battlecruiser and an alien ship from being corroded by the very gaseous cloud that she had initially wanted to study; and last but not least, having to remain in the Infirmary for observation until Janet had eventually allowed her to be discharged.

Finally getting the door open, she switched a light on inside and turned to wave at a very concerned Daniel. The Archaeologist had dropped her off, and was now waiting in his car after a long argument with the Major as to why she didn't need him to escort her to the door. She smiled when he nodded back, grateful nonetheless for his concern, and she watched him drive away.

She exhaled and then turned back to walk into the house, closing the door behind her. She took a moment to look at the hallway, the stairs in front of her, the lounge branching off to her right, and the dining room to her left. She suddenly felt as though she was finally home, both figuratively and literally. Stifling a yawn after a moment of posterity, she shrugged her jacket off and then realised that she hadn't brought her mail in.

Sighing, she left the house, returning within a couple of minutes with a pile of mail. She shuffled through the envelopes, muttering to herself as she dropped them one by one onto a hall table, "Bill, bill, junk, junk, bill..." She smiled when she realised that she held a brown paper packet, and she dropped the rest of the mail onto the table before examining the small package. Her smile widened as she recognised the handwriting, surmising that the contents were something that her brother, Mark had promised that he would send her once he had finished clearing out his loft.

She ripped open the packet and carefully slid out a wooden frame. She frowned and then looked surprised on seeing an old wedding photo in black and white. With a nostalgic smile on her face, she walked into the lounge, switching on the light of a lamp as she made her way to the sofa. Kicking off her shoes, she lie back on the sofa, drawing an old woollen blanket over her form as she held the picture up to the light.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the black and white image of a young woman with long swept up fair hair, dressed in a mass of white, her hand held by a proud looking young man in Air Force dress blues. Tears prickled in Sam's eyes as she remembered long ago her then smaller fingers playing with that same hair. Sniffing, she gazed at the picture with a wistful smile, wondering if those two happy people could have had an inkling of what lay before them on such an obviously happy day.

With a sigh, as she made a mental note to catch up with her brother, she placed the picture on an end table and gazed up at it with a small smile. She then exhaled as she settled down again on the sofa, staring up into nothingness for a moment. She smiled again as she thought of earlier that evening, when at O'Malley's, Daniel and Teal'c threw a small party for her as the Colonel flatly denied all prior knowledge of said party, despite having told her during that first night in the Infirmary.

She laughed softly as she remembered the Colonel and Daniel having one of their customary spats. Teal'c had occasionally joined in, momentarily distracting the Colonel with deliberate linguistic confusions and recollections of obscure Jaffa customs of dubious origins.

As the night had drawn on, she had found her eyes drawn to Daniel as she mulled over what she had experienced aboard the Prometheus. In place of the annoyingly persistent and almost flirtatious apparition was the Daniel that she felt as though she had always known, the man whom even a mental apparition could do no justice to.

Earlier, for a moment, after everything that she had experienced, a part of her had expected him somehow to know what had happened, and to look at her oddly, perhaps guiltily or pityingly. However, he had done neither. He had been his usual self; the banter with Jack that appeared on the face of things to be violent but was in reality rooted in a deep mutual affection and respect; the deep respect and bond that he shared with Teal'c; and the easy and almost psychic rapport that he had always seemed to have had with her.

In between his pseudo-arguments with Jack, of which there were a great many as Jack became progressively more drunk, Daniel had barely left her side as he chatted to her amicably. She had replied with characteristic light-heartedness and ease, bantering as she had done since he had regained his memories, but all the while, the image of the hallucination of him played in her head, his words echoing in her mind.

She immediately grabbed her phone with the intention of calling Daniel, not sure however of just what she would say to him. She fought that sudden impulse, reasoning with herself that she would be more cogent in the morning, and that there was about a ninety-five percent chance that he would still be around in the morning. Sighing, she got up and left the room, switching the light off with a sad glance at the now dark room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

As Sam lie in bed, wide awake, with no sign of venturing into Morpheus' realm within the next week, she suddenly began to cry. She couldn't understand at first why the tears fell but as she continued to cry, she knew why. She had wasted time, a lot of time, by setting her sights on the Colonel, for whom her feelings in reality didn't run as deep as she had previously let herself believe. As she forced herself to think about it instead of relegating it to the back of her mind in order fester as usual, she thought grimly back to when she had woken up the Infirmary, how he hadn't allowed her to call him by his first name. Even in her concussed state, he had chastised her, and then appeared disturbed.

Her thoughts wandered once again to the hallucinations that she had experienced, and how the traits experienced by each were elements of her psyche, repressed, forgotten or otherwise. Her father had represented her deepest worries and regrets, and at a stretch, her sense of responsibility. He had also been a reminder that despite her military rank, her scientific credentials, the combat that she had seen, and the skills that she had earned and developed, she was still his little girl.

Teal'c had represented her sense of caution, a personification of wisdom both in battle and the heat of the moment. He had also represented her courage and her level-headedness. Perhaps too, he personified a sense of security, a troubled past and a constant urge to redeem herself; to excel and surpass, and elevate herself above past actions.

The Colonel... or Jack had been her motivation, picking her up when she had fallen down, encouraging her in her darkest of moments. He was always the one to laugh... or scorn in his case, in the face of adversity. He showed that despite a painful past, she could move on and do great things with her future... and she had. He had also been about the only hallucination to speak to her directly, not beating around the bush. He had got to the point of the matter, just like he had tended to do, even if he had been uncharacteristically forthright... but hallucinations had a mischievous habit of inaccuracy. Last but not least, however, he symbolised that there was always a 'Plan B' or any other subsequent letter of the alphabet, when in a sticky situation off-world.

The little girl who bore her mother's name represented a sense of wonder that had started off her scientific career, and which she had lost somewhere along the way. As a child, Sam had often wondered the answers to many questions, for instance, why stars shine; whether it was true that nothing could travel faster than light; how aeroplanes flew... But somewhere along the way; when, she didn't know; she had lost that passion, that downright thirst for knowledge; the need to know, to understand...

... which led to Daniel. He had represented not only her sense of wonder, but the analytical and scientific aspects of herself. He symbolised that though the end result of any action or string of actions may be critical, the means by which the end is accomplished are just as important, if not more so.

And then there was what he... or rather the hallucination of him, had told her. There was always a way. The Daniel that she knew instilled that value into her and Jack from the first time they had stepped through the Stargate together as a team. There was always another way. She and Jack had used weapons of metal and fire, relying on them to get answers and to make progress, but he had used weapons of words and reason... which usually got much better results.

She sniffed as she held onto a pillow. The hallucination had been right. She was scared. But of what? To give her heart to her best friend without the surety that he would give her his in return? It promised to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam lie in bed the next morning, simply revelling in the relieved and grateful feeling of _not_ being stuck aboard an interstellar battle cruiser in a state of concussion. She reached up to touch a part of her hairline which had been grazed, feeling the rough dry scar tissue that now covered the injury. She stared up at the ceiling with a frown, not sure of what to think as memories resurfaced yet again of her time aboard the ship. Of course those hallucinations had not been real, but it made her re-evaluate how she saw the closest people in her life, and what they meant to her. It also pushed her to reassess her life, and just what she was missing, as well as giving her the final push she needed to realise that there could be nothing between herself and the Colonel, fraternisation regulations notwithstanding.

She was about to wallow in self-pity when the phone rang on her nightstand. Staring at it for a moment, perhaps to ascertain whether it was a hallucination, or even whether she had misheard Janet when the doctor had told her that she was to be off-duty for a week, she eventually answered it. It was her brother, Mark.

Sam sank back into the pillows with a soft groan, her shoulders and neck beginning to ache again, and her brother asked, "Bad time?"

She sighed. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound like you are."

She rolled her eyes and mouthed his words petulantly before replying, "No, I really am. Just tired."

Her brother sounded even more concerned. "Your friend rang me a couple of days ago to say that you've gone missing. Uh, Daniel Jackson. I think it's the guy with the glasses that Dad likes. He rang me again to tell me that you're safe."

Sam smiled as she thought of how her father saw Daniel as a son at times. She then looked worried, wondering how bad the situation must have appeared if Daniel had felt it necessary to call her brother. "Daniel rang you?"

"Yeah. Said you'd gone missing during some flight tests or something. He wasn't very specific... but I guess he can't be if you're doing something top secret."

Her voice took on a note of warning as she remembered her brother's previous albeit not quite as subtle attempts to find out what she did. "Mark..."

"Hey, I know. Don't worry. Dad gave me the whole national security talk the last time you two dropped round..." He sighed. "Anyway... you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine, Mark, really. I'm just on some leave at the moment."

His worry grew. "You're injured?"

"No." She lied. "I just need a rest after what I've been through. It was kinda exhausting."

"Right." He didn't sound too convinced. "Look, Sam, if you're sick or injured, just say so, and I'll be there before dinner."

She rolled her eyes again. "Mark, stop it."

"But..."

"No... if you keep acting like a Mother Hen, I'll put the phone down right now."

He began to sound remarkably like Jacob. "Hey, I'm your brother."

She smiled again, her tone softening. "Sorry. I know... and you're starting to sound like Dad. Thank you... but I'm okay. Just resting. I'm on a week's leave, and don't worry about me doing work. My CO's making sure that I don't go anywhere near the Mountain."

He chuckled briefly. "Okay." He paused. "I don't sound like Dad, do I?"

She laughed softly at the disappointment in his voice. "That isn't a bad thing."

"I know, but _Dad_... come on..."

She asked, reaching for her mobile which had started buzzing, "So... what's up? It's not like you to ring me in the morning."

She read a message from Daniel as Mark replied, "Two things, really. Uh... did you get the picture?"

She smiled as she entered a reply to Daniel's message, replying to her brother, "Yeah, last night. Thanks. Cassie and I were looking through some old photos a couple of weeks ago, and she noticed that I didn't have that many photos of Mom." She bit her lip as she remembered how SG-1 had come across the Hankan orphan, and how the girl was more or less a daughter to Sam, even if Janet had adopted her.

"I don't think you can have too many. Hey, do you want me to have another rummage around?"

She smiled again. "How far have you got with the clear out?"

"About half way... to give credit where it's due, it's only because of the old ball and chain."

She laughed as she put her mobile back on the nightstand. "Mark!? Come on, if Jen heard that, you know what she'd do."

"She'd have to sew them back on first." He cleared his throat. "So, yeah, got quite a lot done with Junior... might finish it at the weekend, probably, if nothing comes up. Hey... seeing as you have a week off, how about coming down to see us? Kids haven't seen you in ages... and God knows where Dad's gone off to now."

She smiled a tight smile, not liking how she had to regularly lie to her brother, or at least twist the truth with regard to their father's whereabouts as well as her job and job-related injuries. "I have no idea. He drops in and out of touch quite frequently."

"I'll say. Typical Carter."

She chuckled briefly and then asked, "What was item number two on your agenda?"

"Huh?"

"You said you'd rang for two reasons."

"Ah... maybe I did, and maybe I didn't..."

She raised an eyebrow and almost growled. "Mark..."

"Hey, don't kill me." He paused. "You remember when I last came to Colorado, and I went to Denver to see a friend?"

She replied cautiously, "Yes..."

"Well, he's a Cop, and he really wants to meet you. He's called Pete Shanahan, and if you're not doing anything this Saturday..."

She groaned and closed her eyes, reminded so much of her father's tendency to interfere. "Mark. I don't need you to do your matchmaking again. Do you remember the last time you did it? I ended up getting followed to Janet's house because the guy had paranoid schizophrenia."

He sounded nervous. "Oh come on, you can't hold that against me. That was a couple of years ago... and besides, that was Jen's idea." He perked up a little. "Look, you're thirty-nine and you haven't got anyone to go home to. I don't know what you get up to in that strange job of yours, but surely you need love."

She closed her eyes at the sudden onset of tears at the remark, and at the memory of the hallucination of her father and what he had said to her. She couldn't help but sniff, and Mark sounded instantly concerned. "Sam? Sam, what's wrong?"

She clenched her other fist. "Nothing, just nothing."

He sounded even more concerned, knowing that he had touched a nerve. "Sam... look, I'm just saying it as it is. I'm sorry. But..."

She snapped, angry and frustrated, and not just at her brother, "But nothing! You're married – surely you have better things to do than to meddle with my love life, or apparent lack of one."

"Sam, please..."

"No, don't. Don't say that it's because I'm only content with my life now, and that I need love! You have no idea what it's like right now." She closed her eyes again as she couldn't help but cry, and she whispered, "Look, I'll call you back when I'm not being hormonal." She quickly disconnected the phone before proceeding to cry herself to sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Later, Sam went for a drive with no destination in mind. As she drove around the city, tears began to fall from her eyes yet again as she recalled her brother's words, and the words uttered by the hallucination of her father. She then remembered what the hallucinations of Daniel and Jack had told her. She quickly parked as her tears fell faster, dangerously obscuring her view of the road, and she dried her tears and blew her nose.

She checked her make-up in the rear-view mirror and then, taking a deep breath to steady herself, she got out of the car with the intention of going for a walk. She walked past various shops, not really paying attention to the contents of their windows, until she finally noticed one shop. She tried to force herself to keep moving but her eyes were drawn to the various items of baby clothes displayed in the window. Her hand instinctively went to her abdomen, and she began to get emotional once again as she considered the chances of her ever becoming a mother.

Steeling herself, she went inside after a moment's hesitation, wondering for that brief moment whether she had been compromised by a very maternal alien influence. Inside, as the assistant, noticing her demeanour, watched the Major with guarded curiosity and concern, Sam looked at racks and neat piles of little cardigans, terry towel nappies, booties, bonnets, hats, baby grows, toys, and so on. She saw pushchairs and prams, and various items of nursery furniture and her tears threatened to return once again.

Not wanting to make a scene or embarrass herself, Sam quickly left the shop. She walked just as quickly down the road and forced herself not to look at any other shops lest she feel compelled to enter them for whatever reason and make rash purchases. In her hurry, she almost sent a smaller person flying. The Major was about to make her apologies and keep walking when the person grabbed her arm and said, stopping her as Sam slowly realised who it was,

"You don't look too good. We need to talk."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A half hour later, Sam was tucked up on Janet's sofa, draped in a soft woollen blanket. Janet, meanwhile, having handed Sam a steaming mug of cocoa, sat in a nearby armchair with her own mug, watching her friend with compassionate yet stern brown eyes. Sam sighed as she watched the marshmallow bob in the hot liquid, and Janet prompted her in a soft voice, good humour briefly showing in her eyes.

"You almost ploughed me down."

Sam smiled in embarrassment down at her mug, and she then said, shaking her head, "It's all getting to me."

Janet remarked, "Well, you've done pretty well if it's only getting to you now after seven years of doing what you do."

Sam made a dismissive gesture. "I don't mean that. I love my job. I love working with the guys. It's just..." She trailed off, her eyes fixed on her mug yet again, unsure of how to express herself to her friend.

Janet looked concerned once again, and she leaned forward. "I know it's not easy, Sam... our jobs. I personally couldn't imagine a better job if I tried. But while it rocks out loud, as Cassie would say, there's not much room for beaus."

Sam nodded, her eyes sad as she eventually looked at Janet, blurting out suddenly, "Mark tried to fix me up with someone." The Major then flinched at her sudden outburst, cursing herself.

Janet's eyebrows went up in surprise. "He did? Again? Is he nuts?"

Sam sighed. "Yes, yes, and yes. Some Cop in Denver this time."

Janet looked hopeful, imagining possible months of vicarious living through the Major. "Are you taking him up on the offer?"

Sam shook her head, looking confused. "I don't know. I pretty much screamed down the phone at him earlier about not wanting him to meddle in my love life. I guess I always hoped that I'd find someone at my own pace... but nothing worked out. You know, the last long-term relationship I had was over eight years ago now... and he turned out to be two fries short of a Happy Meal. I guess I probably should take Mark up on his offer. After all, what are the odds that he's going to choose an escaped mental patient again?"

Janet rolled her eyes, looking worried. "Honey, I'd be cautious about it."

Sam smiled wistfully. "I know." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I think I'm going nuts." She began to cry again, and Janet sprang into action, taking the Major's mug as she offered her a tissue. Sam murmured an apology, as well as a 'thank you' for the tissue, and Janet said,

"Hey, come on, what are friends for if you can't cry in front of them?" The doctor kneeled at Sam's side, holding the Major's hand as she gently prompted, "What is it?"

Sam sniffed. "I went to a baby store today... and I was even considering buying something just so I could know what it feels like to prepare for a baby." She chuckled in self-derision as she began to cry again, her fists clenching in frustration. "Sad, I know." She involuntarily released a sob as Janet gently caressed her arm. "I'm getting old... and I've never had a successful relationship without someone dying. And by the time that I do get someone who won't expect me to give up everything, I'll be too old to have a baby." She looked at Janet entreatingly, tears streaming copiously down her face. "What's wrong with me?"

Janet, touched as she identified with the Major's state of mind, said nothing. All she did was all that she could do in an attempt to soothe her friend's pain. She hugged her. Sam began to cry even harder as Janet, worried, smoothed her back, tears of her own pricking her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Back home again, Sam glumly sat on the floor in front of the television, the Astrophysicist clutching a teddy bear tightly. She closed her eyes as she rested her back against the front of the sofa, feeling teary-eyed once again. Janet had offered to keep her company – the doctor had in fact tried to force Sam to stay over, but she had felt that she would be imposing on the Frasiers. That said, it had taken a great deal of verbal sparring to be able to leave Janet's house conscious and upright as the doctor had practically barricaded her own front door to prevent the Major from leaving.

Sam held the bear tighter as the TV played and she watched it, not taking anything in.

She didn't like – no, she hated – feeling like this. Despite what Janet had said earlier, Sam felt as though there was something wrong with her. She closed her eyes and reached for a tissue before blowing her nose noisily. She then sighed as her eyes moved to the phone. Should she call Mark and finally meet the Pete that he had mentioned, who apparently couldn't wait to meet her? What escaped her conveniently at that moment was the fact that the last suitor that Mark had arranged had also apparently been unable to await meeting her.

She was about to reach for the phone when she heard a key unlocking her front door. She frowned as she looked up, mentally brainstorming the people who possessed copies of her key. She had narrowed it down to Janet, the Colonel and Daniel when a very concerned looking Daniel appeared in the doorway, about to go upstairs. Spotting her, however, he took his jacket off, hanging it in the hallway before entering the lounge. He sat down on the floor next to her and asked, touching her cheek,

"Sam?"

She shook her head and he looked at the teddy bear that was in serious danger of exploding, judging by the scarily intense grip that she had on it. Frowning in worry, he smoothed her hair back as she began to cry again, and he put an arm around her. She almost instantly buried her face in his chest, and he held her tighter, worried even more. He asked,

"What is it? What's wrong?"

She sniffed and replied as he felt her body tremble against him, "I don't know." She cried even harder and whispered, feeling embarrassed as well, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm being like this."

He shushed her. "Hey, hey... don't apologise. You're evidently going through something big." He touched her cheek, encouraging her to meet his gaze. "I don't want you thinking that you're alone. Janet's worried about you. We all are. You've been through a lot."

Her gaze lowered again and she looked at the teddy that she still held. He remarked thoughtfully as he touched one of the bear's ears, "I remember this."

She replied, her head against his chest, "Yeah." She sighed, her eyes closed. "You gave it to me for my birthday before you left us."

He frowned with worry as he gazed down at her, and she said, sighing once again, "I missed you."

He smoothed her hair gently. "I don't remember very much during that time, but I'm sure I missed you too." He paused. "From what Jack said, I must have been a jerk on Abydos. I still can't believe it's all gone though."

She reached over to place her hand on his other shoulder. "Well, I know that had you had the choice, you wouldn't have let it happen." He continued to frown as he thought of his in-laws as he played with her tousled hair. He then said, gazing at her in worry,

"Let's go and eat out." She made to object. "You could use the change of scenery, and if you're going to refuse to stay over at Janet's... you are definitely not wallowing in self pity... by yourself anyway." She released a shuddering breath and then kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks, Daniel."

He smiled on seeing the beginnings of a smile on the Major's face, and he said, "That's more like it." He hugged her. "You're not alone, okay?"

She murmured into his chest as she closed her eyes. "Thanks."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Looking far brighter than she had previously, Sam emerged into the lounge from upstairs to find the television switched off. She found Daniel standing at the end of her couch, looking at the picture of her parents, the Archaeologist facing the window. She smiled, and he turned on sensing her presence. He said with a little smile, glad to see that she looked much better,

"So Mark sent the picture finally?"

She smiled as she moved closer to him. "I meant to show it to you before. That picture – or rather its original – was taken in the Spring of 1963."

He remarked, looking amused as he glanced at her, "It's funny how young your Dad looks."

She chuckled as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah." Her smile faded. "I guess I should have a copy made ready for when he drops in next... he didn't take many of his personal possessions from Earth when he went to live with the Tok'ra."

He nodded. "I bet he'll like it." He glanced at her again. "You look a lot like your Mom."

She smiled wistfully as she gazed down at the picture that he held. "Yeah, I used to get that a lot when I was a kid."

He said quietly as he slowly put the picture back, as though he didn't want to break some unknown spell, "I bet Cassie would love to see it." He glanced at Sam in mild concern when she appeared distracted, and then he said, trying to inject some optimism into the moment, "So... is the Major finally ready?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam looked out at the mountain view visible from her window seat at the restaurant. With her chin resting in the palm of her hand, she smiled slightly as she watched the sun set, a part of the sky turning fiery yellow, edged with a band of hazy pink. She looked back at Daniel with a tranquil smile, the Archaeologist admiring the view as well.

"Thanks."

He shrugged with a small smile as he looked at her again. "It was either this or helping you tear that bear apart."

She smiled as she looked down at her hands, a troubled frown beginning to appear on her face. He looked as though he was going to say something, when suddenly the waiter arrived with the salads that they had ordered. They both thanked the departing waiter, and then Daniel asked as they both picked at their food, "What's up?"

She sighed. "Stuff."

He nodded in acknowledgement, letting her set the pace. "Ah... stuff."

"Yeah." She poked her salad a little more and scrunched her nose up. "You wouldn't understand."

He shrugged, and she continued, trying to look brave despite the sadness in her eyes, "Mark's fixing me up with someone."

Daniel looked mildly surprised. "Oh, the Cop from Denver."

She looked at him in confusion. "How did you know?"

He smiled bashfully. "Janet told me."

"Figures." She mentally made a note to have a word with the doctor about updating her list of situations in which doctor-patient confidentiality should apply. Daniel asked her, looking curious,

"Are you going through with it?"

She half-shrugged, looking worried as she continued to look at her plate. "I don't know. I was going to. It's only a date... one date doesn't mean that we'll be picking out china patterns or looking at houses. To be honest, I'm a bit wary about this Cop guy after the last one Mark set me up with."

He made a face. "Good idea." He frowned. "If this guy turns out to be a stalker, you've finally got to admit that Mark _might_ not be good at matchmaking."

She chuckled disdainfully. "I already know. He sucks. I can't help thinking though that it may be my last chance." She frowned as she looked down. "I'm pushing forty, Daniel." The hard edge that her eyes had tried to uphold now crumbled as she looked up at him. "I hate feeling like this. It feels like I'm losing control of my life."

Feeling awkward, she turned away from him, looking out at the mountains which appeared progressively dimmer as more of the sun hid behind them. He watched her with a troubled expression. He said,

"Sam."

She shook her head as she met his gaze again, now feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry. You were nice enough to get me out of the house and now I'm ruining everything."

He shook his head with a concerned frown. "Don't be silly, Sam. Of course you're not." He sighed. "I understand what you're going through... or at least I know, in principle." He reached for her hand. "You're not too old, Sam. There's always a way."

Sam did a double take at his last remark. As he looked puzzled and concerned at her reaction, she asked, scared as she recalled the words of the hallucination of Daniel that she had experienced, "What... what did you say?"

Frowning even more in confusion, he replied, "That you're not too old... and that there's always a way." He paused as Sam closed her eyes. "It's okay, we can talk about something else. I'm sorry."

She shook her head as tears pricked her eyes. She then said, overcome with pain as well as some confusing thoughts and feelings, "I'm sorry, Daniel." She sniffed and then quickly got up as he looked bewildered. He quickly threw some money on the table in payment for their meals as he went after her, ignoring the scrutiny of other diners and staff.

He caught up with her in the lobby. He then grabbed her hand and led a very surprised Major out of the building. Still silent, he led her to his car in which they had travelled to the restaurant and they got in. Inside, Daniel looked across at Sam as she, scared, looked down at her hands.

"What's wrong? What did I say?"

She shook her head, not wanting to answer his questions. Worried and not wanting her to shut him out, he said softly, "Tell me."

She hesitantly met his gaze and replied, "It's a long story... and you'll think that I'm nuts."

"Sam... I'm all for long stories. As for you being nuts, if it helps, I'm a fruitcake."

She looked mildly amused at his self-depreciation, and he continued with a shrug, "So..."

She sighed, her eyes still on her hands. "I don't know where to start." She glanced at him. "I had hallucinations on board the ship."

He nodded, having read her report. "I know. You experienced hallucinations of each of us, your Dad, and a little girl called Grace... they each symbolised different parts of you, and together were contributing factors to..."

She interrupted him with a shake of her head. "There are things that I left out. I glossed over much of what 'Dad' had said... and deliberately omitted things that 'you' and 'Colonel O'Neill' had said... or not said to me."

He frowned in confusion. "What could either of us... or your hallucinations of us have said to you that you felt too embarrassed to mention..." Realisation dawned on his face. "Oh." He looked down, grimacing a little. "Jack... or rather that Jack said things to you that our Jack hasn't."

She nodded, and he asked, "What about me?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." She looked out of the window as he looked increasingly worried.

"What about Jack then?"

Still facing away from him, she replied softly, "I realised that all this time, I've only been setting my sights on him because I know that I can't have him... and if I know that I can't have him, I won't get my heart broken again." Even though she was looking out of the window, he noticed a tear rolling down her left cheek. She closed her eyes. "I was even going to resign... but I couldn't do it, and now I know why. There's nothing there. There will never be anything... and to be honest, it's not something that I want right now... and quite possibly, ever." She heaved a sad sigh, resting her head against the seat rest.

He gazed at her sadly. Concerned, he touched her shoulder. "Have you considered talking to Jack about it?"

She shrugged and eventually faced him. "What's the point? He's not good at that sort of thing... and if either of us had really wanted it, do you honestly think that we would have waited this long?"

He raised his eyebrows in thought. "So... you're only giving up because you think he won't do anything?"

She glared at him. "It's not that simple, Daniel. If he came to me now and told me vaguely how he felt; _if_ he felt that way... I don't know what I'd do, but the whole thing to me now just seems a waste of time. I mean, come on! It's Jack O'Neill. If he didn't zone out from boredom within the first week, I would probably be court-martialled for the assault and battery of a senior officer." She shook her head and turned to face away from him again as he looked thoughtful.

"You never said what the 'me' of your head told you."

"There's no point. It'll just make things stupid."

"More stupid than asking you whether there was anything between us?"

She instantly turned to look at him, pain in her eyes. "Daniel... that wasn't stupid." She watched him look down, presumably in awkwardness. "I would have thought the same thing if you'd said half the things that I'd said to you on Vis Uban." She paused. "Do you really want to know?"

Still looking down at his hands, he sighed. "I don't know." He looked at her, an indescribable sadness in his eyes. "I'm... I'm not sure that I want to know."

Upset at his demeanour as well as her own feelings, she leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed. After a long moment of hesitation that could have been either minutes or days to them, she said softly, "Jack told me to call him 'Jack'... and he said that you never call him 'Colonel'. He pushed me to save myself like our Colonel O'Neill would have, and he said things about him not being complex. I realised then that I was holding onto him because I was scared. He said that because I had set my sights on him, I was missing other opportunities..."

Her eyes still closed, she didn't see Daniel stare at her. "And you. You kept bugging me to look at the cloud... the possibility that it could be sentient." She chuckled a little. "That was so like you." Her smile vanished as she sighed. "You appeared a couple of times. The last time you appeared to me, you told me that..." She paused, swallowing past a lump in her throat. "... that I was scared." She sniffed, realising that she was crying as she felt hot tears run down her cheeks.

"You rationalised the other hallucinations... you told me that Jack being in civilian clothes meant that either of us would have to change for a relationship to get off the ground. But with you... I wouldn't have to change a thing... and I'm already myself with you. I don't feel that I have to change, or be someone else. With you, I'm just Sam. I'm not Major Samantha Carter... I'm not Doctor Carter, or Carter, even. I'm just Sam." She sniffed again. "I pointed out that the fraternisation regulations could still apply, and you said that there was always a way. I mean, I didn't understand what you meant, which is silly because technically it was me, and if I don't know what I mean... who else would have a chance?"

She finally opened her eyes and saw Daniel's stunned expression. She pressed her lips together, upset now that she might have ruined her friendship with the Archaeologist. She covered her mouth in shock, and said, "Oh God, Daniel... I'm so sorry." Before he could reply, she quickly got out of the car, running away as fast as she could.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam didn't know where she was, or how far she had run when she heard someone chasing her. Despite an impulse to run faster and to evade her pursuer like she had many times previously, she stopped but didn't turn around, tears still running down her face as she felt ashamed and scared.

Daniel stopped behind her but didn't try to face her. He said, frowning, "Sam..."

She shook her head. "Please, Daniel. Just forget I said anything."

"I can't." He swallowed, looking nervous. "I can't just act like that didn't happen."

Her voice trembled even more as her tears fell faster. "We can't work together any more. You're going to feel awkward around me. I have feelings for you that are way beyond professionalism or friendship, and I don't know how to deal with them except to just hide like the Colonel does with everything remotely emotional. I just need some time to deal with things." She grimaced, mentally kicking herself for saying too much.

He touched her shoulder, looking sad at her outburst. "Sam." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Sam, I won't feel awkward around you... I never will. We've been through way too much together... with the team, for something like this to get in the way of our friendship." He paused. "Did you ever consider that I might just feel the same way about you?"

She turned to face him, looking shocked. He wiped away her tears as he looked as though he was in pain. "I'm not much better than Jack at being emotionally open, I know, but I've been able to share anything with you... and for the first time in my life, I'm not scared to make myself vulnerable to you."

"Oh God, this is so messed up."

She buried her face in his shoulder as he hugged her. "Only if you let it be, Sam." He gently rubbed her back. "It was a shock for me when I first allowed myself to realise the extent of my feelings for you." He sighed and then looked down at her. "I'm glad that I could finally share that with you." He frowned a little. "But... for the greater good, I'm going to have to let you go or at least continue to deal with my feelings for you." When she looked up at him, hurt, he smoothed her cheek. "You're on the rebound from your feelings for Jack. It would be unfair on both of us if... you know... and plus you're considering taking Mark up on his offer."

As she fought with herself to speak, feeling frustratingly unable to tell him what she wanted to say, he, now looking wistful, slipped an arm around her shoulders and said, "Come on, Sam. I'll drive you home."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Coming to the end of a rather uncomfortably quiet car ride from the restaurant to Sam's house, Daniel pulled to stop next to her car on the driveway. He looked at her as she looked out of the window. He said softly,

"I'll only come in if you want me to."

He hadn't realised that for the entire trip, she had been crying. He only realised that she was crying in the first place when she said in a hoarse whisper, "Why are you so eager to give up?" She turned to face him, looking angry, her eyes red-rimmed. "Why? Are you scared? Because I am really, really scared right now."

He sighed, looking down at his hands with a weary sigh. "Sam."

"Do you really feel the way that you said that you feel about me? Or were you just being polite?"

"Sam, don't do this. Not now." His voice sounded more pained than the stern tone that he had intended.

"What? Don't do what? Admit that I finally see the person who's always had my heart all along?" She sniffed as she turned to look out of the window and at her house. "You've changed me, Daniel. You've changed me so much over the years." She exhaled. "You're the one person who I don't have to pretend for. If the Colonel was sat in your seat right now, I wouldn't be crying like this. I'd be most likely trying to be brave... I wouldn't even be saying these things to you." She glared at him, her voice even more shaky than it had been. "And you know why? Because I finally realise that I have been stupendously blind. Knowing now that you feel the same way, I should be happy... but I'm angry, because you're just so ready to give up."

Now looking affronted as well as upset, he snapped, "What do you want me to say? That I love you? That... that for the first time since my wife, I finally feel ready to put my heart on the line for someone else?" He shook his head. "Our jobs are too dangerous... and I have a habit of losing the women that I love. I don't want to lose you as well."

She retorted, "Well, my men have a habit of dying! How do you think I think I feel that behind my back, half the SGC refer to me as 'Black Widow Carter'?!"

He frowned in disbelief. "No they don't!"

"They do! And no doubt they call me other things too." She sighed and reached for his hand, her voice calmer. "Daniel. Our jobs are always going to be dangerous... there's always going to be the possibility that either of us aren't going to come back from the next mission. It's all the more reason to take a chance to have some happiness because..."

He shook his head. "Stop right there, Sam." He met her gaze. "We're not talking about a comfort thing here."

"I know."

"If we do this... we've got to do it properly. No rushing... no jumping into things before we're ready. And as for the matter of regulations, we can deal with it when we're back on duty."

She nodded and he reached over to dry her eyes. She whispered with a shaky smile as she looked at him, noticing how nervous he looked, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Daniel."

0o0o0o0o0o0

As Sam lie in Daniel's arms on her sofa, the television set at a low volume, she closed her eyes as she felt his steady heartbeat under her cheek. She looked up at him, smiling slightly in amusement on seeing that he was asleep. She took his glasses off, carefully putting them on the end table next to the photo of her parents. As she settled down on his chest again, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that Daniel did return her feelings. However, she also knew that he had his own fears, many of which she did share and identify with.

She reached up to run her fingers through his hair and watched him frown as his arms shifted around her. The warmth within her grew exponentially as she really considered what being in this position with him actually meant. She had been intimate with him before, but somehow, it seemed different now; as though there wasn't a limit, although there technically still was seeing as they had just embarked on this new stage of their relationship.

For the first time, she felt as though there was nowhere else that she would rather be than in his arms, feeling his heart beat, watching the rise and fall of his chest with each breath that he took. She smiled at the thought, feeling a tender yet steady reassurance of his love and his protectiveness of her, even in his sleep. Tears then began to form in her eyes as she realised, despite it being only the first day of their new relationship, that this was how she wanted her life to end. Never had she felt so peaceful before.

His eyes flickered open a few minutes later, and he smiled drowsily on seeing a fair head on his chest, feeling her body moulded against his. He kissed the top of her head and smoothed her arm. When she met his gaze, he frowned on seeing the tears in her eyes. He asked as he dried them,

"Sam?"

She smiled, shaking her head a little. "I'm fine... I really am. I just wish that we could have made this leap before now. It feels so right... and we haven't even been on a date yet." They kissed, both of them smiling, and she grinned when she looked at him. "This feels so great."

He smiled back at her, caressing the side of her face. "It does. I could spend the rest of my life here with you like this."

She sighed happily as she rested her head on his chest again. "Me too." Her smile faded slightly. "It's so easy to forget the war... and everything else but you." She chuckled softly. "It's like time doesn't exist... it's like it's stopped all of a sudden, and there's nothing we have to do. Oh, I sound nuts."

He kissed the top of her head again. "No, I know what you mean." He smiled as he played with her hair. "Speaking of things stopping, I think my heart almost stopped when we kissed in the hall. I don't remember ever feeling like that." He smiled as he felt her hand move across his chest, and he asked,

"Do you want to go anywhere today?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "I quite like being here." She looked up at him. "What about you?"

"I'm happy here too." He grinned in anticipation when she rose above him, lowering her lips to his in a tender kiss. He stroked her cheek during the embrace as he returned her kisses, wanting but shying from showing her the depth of his feelings for her.


	4. Chapter 4

Having not seen Sam for over an hour, the Major having left to go to the bathroom, Daniel frowned in worry. He paced the floor of the lounge, his hands in his pockets, the Archaeologist debating whether he should go upstairs or not. Finally, concern for his friend won out, and he went upstairs. He was about to call her name when he noticed that the bathroom door was ajar. Grimacing a little, hoping that he wouldn't embarrass her, he pushed the door, calling softly,

"Sam?"

When there was no reply, he hesitantly peeked in, and then closed his eyes briefly, partially in relief, on not seeing her. He then turned, wondering where she could have gone, when he noticed that her bedroom door was closed. Now even more worried, he stood outside of her room and tapped on the door, calling,

"Sam? Are you okay in there?"

When he didn't get a reply, he slowly opened the door, getting ready to close his eyes. He entered the room, eventually seeing the back of her head, Sam sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed. He looked dismayed on seeing that she was shuddering, as though she was silently crying. He quickly made his way to the far side of the bed and sat down on the floor next to her. In her hands appeared to be a catalogue for a maternity shop. Surmising the source of her distress, he gently took the catalogue from her, setting it aside, before pulling her into his arms. She wept against his shoulder, and he asked, now even more worried,

"Sam?"

She shook her head, and he held her tighter, whispering as he rested his cheek against her hair, "I wish you'd talk to me, or Janet at least." He rubbed her back. "Do you want me to call her?"

She shook her head again, whispering shakily as she trembled, "Just stay here, please."

He sighed softly. "Okay." He gazed at her worriedly, noting that she refused to meet his gaze. "I'm not going anywhere."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam and Daniel, holding hands, walked through a park. The Major remarked with a contented smile as she glanced at their sunny surroundings, "We could've skipped the movie and just gone for a walk here." Her smile faded a little. "It's been a while since I've seen the sun."

He exhaled. "Tell me about it." He looked up at the sun. He then looked at her and smiled. "It's quite cool, you know, seeing the sun and hanging out with you."

She laughed, amused."_Cool_?!"

He looked at her in bemusement, although he was glad that she was smiling. "What?"

She shook her head with a smirk. "You never say 'cool'. The Colonel does, but you don't."

He shrugged. "People change."

They gazed at each other, smiling, and then he remarked, raising his eyebrows briefly, "So... is there anything else that I should know, apart from you having a crush on Gene Kelly?"

She laughed in disbelief and swatted his forearm. "Daniel!?" She smiled. "I do not have a crush on him. I just love that scene... and I feel like bursting into song."

He looked at her meaningfully and she continued, a little embarrassed, "What? How can you watch that and not find it cool at the very least? Anyway, I didn't see you complaining. As I seem to recall, you couldn't tear your eyes away from the screen... something about the transition from silent movies to talkies."

He hung his head briefly. "You got me."

"Yeah, this whole teasing me thing, you've got to think it out a little more... and do it when it's not related to something that you have an interest in." She looked at him coyly. "So, Doctor Jackson, what's _your_ favourite movie?"

He looked at her, frowning slightly. "I'm suddenly _Doctor Jackson_? What did I do?" He smiled at her. "Uh, I don't know. I have the same issue that you have with movies that cover your areas of expertise."

She chuckled, and he continued with a little sigh, "I'm not sure if I have a favourite... I probably would have said something like Star Wars before, but..." He grimaced. "... after sitting through at least three quarters of Teal'c's viewing of that particular franchise..." They simultaneously smiled in amusement at their friend's borderline obsession with Star Wars.

Daniel suddenly stopped, frowning. Sam stopped too, looking at him in concern. "Daniel?"

He turned to her with a smile, realisation on his face. "I remember."

She looked at him, bemused. "Specifics would be good."

His smile widened, the Archaeologist looking excited. "I remember my favourite movie."

She raised an eyebrow, looking sceptical. "You do? I thought you didn't have one."

He raised a finger, as though to make a point. "I do, I do... I just never said anything because it would have been played to death by Jack until it wasn't my favourite any more. To be honest, it's surprising really, considering."

She frowned in thought and then looked disappointed. "How come you didn't tell me?"

He retorted with an affectionate smile, "How long have you known me for?"

She smiled and then asked, a little impatient. "Well?"

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail." She looked at him in surprise, and then smirked.

"I think I already knew."

He looked at her in surprise as they resumed walking, their linked hands swinging between them. "You did?"

"Uh-huh. It's the only movie, other than Life of Brian, which covers at least one of your fields of expertise _and_ which you didn't moan all the way through for."

He grinned. "We're going to have to watch those two one day." He gazed at her. "How about it?"

"Sure." She grinned too. "I'd love that." She leaned into his embrace as he put an arm around her, and she slipped her arm around his waist, sighing softly as she found herself unable to stop smiling.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Daniel walked Sam to her doorstep, still holding her hand. He smiled down at her as he caressed her cheek, and he said as she smiled at him, "Thanks for an amazing day. I really enjoyed myself."

Her smile widened as she slipped her arms around his neck. "Me too. Thanks, Daniel." They smiled and he kissed her. As his embrace tightened, she stood on tiptoe as she returned his kisses, her fingers running through his hair. When at last they had parted, they hugged tightly, and Sam suddenly found herself tearful. She rubbed the area between his shoulder blades and then asked shyly, looking at him, seeing in his eyes the same wonder and amazement that she felt,

"Do you want to hang out some more?"

He looked as though he was hesitating, mulling a possible answer over. He then asked, gazing at her tenderly as he caressed her jaw, "Are you sure?"

She smiled as she kissed him again, and took by him by the hand, leading him into her house, the front door slamming shut behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

A naked Daniel and Sam lie face-to-face on Sam's bed, the pair having made love for the first time. Reeling from the magical feelings that had sprung forth, they began to talk, occasionally kissing each other and touching. Daniel reached over to smooth her hair back, frowning in concern on seeing a scar on her hairline. He kissed it softly, saying as his hand moved down her body to her waist and stomach,

"The whole thing sounds intriguing... and how Jack, Teal'c and I have each become a part of you... representing different facets of your personality."

She nodded in agreement as she held his jaw, whispering with a slow smile, "Any other man would have thought that I was nuts."

He kissed the tip of her nose affectionately. "We're on SG-1. We do nuts for a living."

She chuckled and touched his cheek, her heart overfilling with happiness as a result of sharing so much with him, feeling safe in the knowledge that she had his heart, and he hers. "So what now?"

His hand moved from her waist up to her shoulder as he frowned slightly. "Well, whether or not we're doing this out in the open or not, we have to tell Jack and Teal'c. They're family. But that's just what I think. What do you think?"

"I don't mind telling them. I was more concerned about what we were going to tell General Hammond. I think we can work something out. After all, we're trying to beat Anubis to the Lost City. He's not going to be so ready to split us up." She paused, a wistful expression on her face. "And if I could, I would give it all up for you... I know it's early, way too early to say stuff like that, but..."

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her, the Archaeologist touched that she would sacrifice her career for him. "I understand. I would do the same for you." He moved his finger and kissed her. "But you mentioned that fraternisation regulations could still apply to us because I'm essentially a civilian consultant, contracted by the Air Force to do what I do." He saw something in her eyes, and he shook his head. "I know you would resign your commission, but that still wouldn't change a thing. We'd still be separated for the same reasons we could be now. And besides, the Air Force... flying planes... that has been a part of you for so long. I won't let you give it up, even if it was the only way for us to stay together out in the field."

They kissed once more, and she whispered, gazing at him, "We're just going to have to leave this discussion for when we see the General again... otherwise we're just going to waste time second-guessing and getting stressed when there are bigger fish to fry, both right here and out there." He smiled, groaning softly as he covered their cooling bodies with the sheets, before holding her in his arms.

She asked, closing her eyes as she kissed his chest, "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

He kissed her hair. "I wouldn't mind staying the day here with you, but I get the feeling that Jack could suddenly drop in when he doesn't find me at home." He chuckled briefly. "I think he finds me amusing... and he's just waiting for me to dance on the table or something when he gets bored."

She laughed, whispering tiredly, soothed by the sound of his heartbeat, "That'd be the day."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Janet followed Jack and Teal'c up the front path of Sam's house, the doctor now even more curious at being called for 'something important' as Sam had mysteriously referred to the reason she wanted Janet to come over. She smiled to herself as Jack knocked on the door, remembering sending Daniel over to Sam's the day before. It hadn't been a well-thought out decision, but she had so desperately wanted Sam to be happy, and she had hoped that, against the odds, Daniel would finally tell Sam how he felt about her. Of course, he wouldn't, and she was just being silly, but she had known for a while how Daniel had felt, having surmised it not long after he had returned from Vis Uban.

Well, she hoped that it was a nice 'something important'.

The door opened and Sam greeted them, Janet hugging the Major. They went into the lounge, where Daniel was perched on an armchair, looking at a picture. Teal'c greeted him and took a seat on the sofa as Jack asked, looking curious as Janet followed Sam into the kitchen,

"When did you get here, Danny?"

Daniel replied with a shrug, "I've been here a while."

"Your engine's stone cold. You stayed the night?"

Daniel nodded and Jack raised his eyebrows. "Must have been some party..."

In the kitchen, Sam's attention was drawn from Jack's jokes to Janet, when the doctor asked, "So... what's going on?"

Sam asked, looking at a determined looking Janet who was rooting through a cupboard, "What are you talking about?"

Janet turned to look at her sceptically. "Asking us all to come over for _something important_. If you wanted to hang out, you could have said." She glanced at the doorway to the lounge. "And did Daniel really stay the night? What happened?"

Sam couldn't but smile at the sparks of interest in Janet's eyes as she turned away to switch the kettle on. She said quietly with a shrug, "Just what you'd expect."

Janet raised an eyebrow and was about to prompt the Major when Sam turned to look at her. "You know, don't ever give me that Doctor-Patient confidentiality bullshit if you don't intend to stick to it." When Janet looked at her challengingly, Sam continued, "You told Daniel about who Mark was going to set me up with."

Janet frowned and then remarked,"_Was _going to set you up with? You've decided not to go ahead with it? Have you called Mark, or is this just some Carter indecision which will change soon?"

Sam stared at the doctor in disbelief. "How do you get away with saying half the stuff that you do?"

Janet smirked in amusement. "By being in charge of all your medical examinations, and having the ability to make them as painful as possible if you try to hide things from me." At that moment, Daniel came into the kitchen on sighting that Sam had put mugs of coffee on a tray. He smiled briefly at Janet, and then smiled at Sam, his smile lingering.

"Here, let me take that."

Sam smiled at him, momentarily forgetting that Janet was there as her knees felt as though they were melting into her shins. "Thanks, Daniel." She popped a plate of biscuits on the tray and when he left for the lounge, Janet looked at Sam, watching her look every which way but at her. The doctor remarked, an eyebrow raised,

"Care to tell me what that was about?"

Sam quickly turned to look at Janet. "What was what about?"

Janet rolled her eyes and gestured towards the lounge. "The chemistry between you guys just kicked up a notch. Are you sure nothing happened last night?"

Sam smiled slightly and cocked her head in the direction of the lounge. "Come on, let's go hang with the boys." Before Janet could reply, Sam walked out of the kitchen. The now amused women emerged into an argument between Jack and Teal'c about hockey teams. Janet sat next to Teal'c, making sure to keep an eye on where Sam was sitting. The Major immediately went to the armchair that Daniel was perched on, and sat on the seat.

As the conversation ground to a halt without either noticing, Daniel smiled down at Sam before getting a mug for her from the coffee table. She grinned up at him in thanks and he smiled, smoothing her hair tenderly. Jack's eyebrows shot up at the scene and he looked to Teal'c for some sort of an explanation. Teal'c's eyebrow eventually lowered, replaced by a knowing smirk. The Colonel then looked at Janet, silently asking if she had been any the wiser to what was going on between Sam and Daniel. The shocked look on her face indicated that she hadn't been.

Jack then looked at the two of them again when Daniel asked uncertainly, noticing the silence, "Guys? What's up?"

Jack, his eyebrows going up again, remarked, "You and Carter look cosy."

Sam looked up at Daniel as he looked down at her, and she reached for his hand. Teal'c said, breaking the awkward silence, "It would appear that DanielJackson and MajorCarter have become entwined as lovers." Janet couldn't help but chuckle at Teal'c's deliberate wording as Jack cringed at the imagery evoked by the Jaffa's remark.

"Uh, T... come on, I know you're pretty open about the free love thing, but I have enough nightmares as it is." He turned to look at the scientists of his team. "I presume this is what you wanted to tell us... unless you had a quickie in the kitchen just now." Teal'c's eyebrow rose again at the euphemism, and Sam and Daniel blushed as Janet smirked into her coffee. "Daniel, you dog."

Sam nodded at Daniel, who nodded in reply. He then said, looking a little nervous, "We're a couple." Janet grinned and punched the air in triumph as Teal'c smirked while Jack looked at the doctor as though she had gone crazy. "This whole thing's new to us... and we're not sure what we're going to do when we go back to work. There is a possibility that we could be on different teams."

Jack frowned and remarked, his attention snapping back to the scientists, "What are you talking about? I'm not having either of you on another team. You're on my team... no-one else's." He paused. "And besides, I can't count on any other CO keeping you alive, Danny. That's my job." As Sam and Daniel looked nervous, Jack sat back in his seat, looking pensive. He eventually looked at them again. "You two, huh? Can't say that I'm too surprised... although to be honest, it is kinda out of left field right now. What changed?" He looked at Sam, his emotions carefully guarded. "Carter."

Sam replied, knowing that some part of the Colonel at least was hurting, "We stopped beating around the bush. I realised a few things."

Daniel added, softly, still holding Sam's hand as he gazed down at her, "I did too."

Jack sighed and then said, getting up, "I think I'm going to need a beer when I leave here..." He looked at Sam. "Kitchen, now."

A worried looking Sam got up and Daniel kissed her gently. She smoothed his cheek and then followed her CO into the kitchen as they heard Janet scream. Sam turned with a bemused smile to see Daniel engulfed in a hug from the small doctor as Teal'c talked to him in a more sensible manner. Sam's smile vanished when she turned back to face Jack, who was leaning against a worktop, silently studying her.

He said after a moment's hesitation, as though he was trying to find the right words but had failed, "I just want to know one thing... and I want you to tell me the truth." She nodded. "Did he take advantage of you?"

She looked shocked at the question, but he waved dismissively. "Answer the question, Carter."

She sighed, replying, "He didn't." She hesitated before continuing, resting her lower back against the nearby worktop. "I recently realised that I'd been holding onto someone and they had become a safety net." She paused again, not wanting to lie to him but scared nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Sir. I don't know how you feel about me exactly, but I had to stop lying to myself. I love Daniel... and I have for a long time... I just didn't let myself see it." She paused, and looked at him hesitantly. "You are cool with this, aren't you?"

He stared in the direction of the fridge, unseeing, and she was scared that perhaps he was in shock. She was about to touch his shoulder to wake him from whatever reverie he had become lost in, when he said with a sigh, not looking at her, "Well, I'm glad that at least someone wasn't too yellow to think about it." He looked at her, and she was upset to see pain in his eyes for the briefest of moments. "I trust that you and Daniel are doing what's right for each other. As your friend and CO, I'm happy for you." He rubbed his eyebrow briefly, sighing. "It's just going to take me a while to... you know."

She nodded in understanding and said, feeling bad, "Sir... if there's..."

He raised a hand. "Hey, you're with my Space Monkey now... enough with the _Sir_ when we're off-duty."

"But in the Infirmary..."

He looked away from her. "I'm an ass, Carter. I would have thought that you'd have figured that by now." He looked as though he was going to say more but he stopped himself. He patted her on the shoulder. "I'm going to go." He was about to leave the kitchen when he turned around and said, watching her as she folded her arms across her chest, looking sad, "Hey, and when we go back, you can count on me to fight for you two when you tell Hammond."

She smiled gratefully, still looking sad. "Thanks... Jack."

He smirked briefly. "No problem. Least I can do." He paused. "Well, the least I can do is nothing..." He waved dismissively. "You get the picture. See ya around?"

She sniffed as tears began to fall. "Sir... I mean, Jack... I hope this doesn't make things awkward between us."

He regarded her for a moment. "Carter... you know it isn't that easy. I'm not saying I'll stop inviting you fishing. I just need some time with a beer." He paused. "You okay?"

She nodded as she dried her eyes and he gazed at her for a moment before leaving the kitchen. She saw Daniel getting up from his seat, about to join her when Jack patted his shoulder. Daniel looked at her in concern and then sat back down as Jack talked to him. Janet came into the kitchen, the doctor immediately hugging Sam.

"Honey, what happened?"

Sam shook her head. "Nothing. The Colonel was just making sure we were good."

Janet let her go and said, looking concerned, "Sam... if you want to talk..."

Sam smiled a little as she turned away. "Thanks, but I'm alright. I think he needed to say what he did." Janet looked up as Teal'c entered the kitchen. Teal'c immediately pulled Sam into his arms and said quietly,

"O'Neill requires time to think, MajorCarter. Do not be sad."

Sam looked up at the Jaffa gratefully and then away again. "I know. It's just hard. I know he's hurting."

"He is strong. He will overcome this."

"He shouldn't have to."

Teal'c put a consoling hand on her shoulder, knowing that she was feeling bad for the Colonel. He and Janet moved aside when Daniel appeared in the doorway. Sam looked up, their eyes meeting, and within seconds, she was in his arms. Teal'c patted Daniel on the shoulder and he and Janet left with lingering glances.

Daniel looked down at Sam in his arms and kissed her hair. "I'm proud of you... that couldn't have been easy." He held her tighter, and she whispered, sniffing as she held onto him just as tightly,

"He's not going to do anything stupid, is he?"

Daniel, worried, replied quietly, "He's going to be okay, Sam. It was just a shock... and I think he's disappointed that he didn't bring things out into the open before now." He sighed. "We just have to let him be alone now. He hasn't really taken the time to think things over." He kissed her forehead. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and he smiled slightly as he dried her tears. "I should have been here earlier, but Jack was going mother hen on me again." When she looked up at him, curious at what had been said, he smoothed her cheek. "He was just making sure that we were doing this for the right reasons, and not because we were feeling lonely, or just wanted to spite him. He's going to talk to the General off-the-record."

She looked up at him in surprise. "He is? All he said was that he'd fight for us when we get back to work."

He smiled a little. "It's Jack... have you played Poker with him? He never shows all of his cards." Noticing that the others had gone, he said, "Come on, let's go do something fun." They smiled at each other mischievously as they held hands and left the kitchen, the Major suddenly laughing when Daniel made a rude remark.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks to Eventhorizon7 for giving me the idea for the first part of this chapter. You rock. :o)_

_A year later..._

_(really sorry for the jump in the story... but I just feel that our favourite twosome meeting with Hammond or Landry to discuss relationship changes and such has been done so many times now that it's almost, if not already a cliché.)_

_Lyrics featured are I'll Be There by the Jackson 5_

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam, with longer hair, sat in the passenger seat of Daniel's car as they parked up at the side of a busy road. She looked through the window on her side of the car with a worried expression. Her attention was drawn back to the man in the driving seat, who asked, rubbing her arm, "Sam, are you sure you want to do this? We can go elsewhere."

She shook her head and smiled at him. "Sorry... I was just thinking about the last time that I was here." Sam looked down at her swollen abdomen and rubbed it with a thoughtful expression. She then looked up at Daniel with a smile. "I remember the cutest outfit that I know would suit Junior."

Daniel smiled as he kissed her, and then he said as he caressed her cheek, "If you tell me which one it is, I'll go in and get it, and then you don't have to get out."

"Where's the fun in that?" She smiled again, grateful for his concern, even if it did exasperate her at times. "I'm fine. I really want to do this." He squeezed her hand reassuringly when she turned to look out of her window again. She whispered as tears suddenly sprung to her eyes, partially as a result of the hormones raging through her body, "I can't believe we're here." She turned to look at him once again, blinking back tears as he looked worried. "I never thought that we'd be doing this... not like this." She rested her head back against the seat rest, murmuring as she closed her eyes, "Sorry... these stupid hormones are making me go nuts."

He reached across to rub her abdomen with a concerned expression. "Don't apologise. You're doing really well." He dried her eyes. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and was about to open the door when he said, "Wait there. Don't move." She groaned in exasperation, amused nonetheless as he got out of the car and made his way to her side of the car. He opened the door and she remarked as he helped her out,

"Daniel... I'm pregnant. It doesn't mean that I need everything doing for me." She smiled as he hugged her. "I appreciate it though. You do know that, don't you?"

An arm around her, he locked the car, remarking with a little smile, glancing at her, "I do now." He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. "Come on, let's go in. Janet swore she'd kill me if we're back late, _and_ if you get exhausted."

She smiled in amusement as they slowly made their way to the maternity shop in front of them, the Astrophysicist leaning into his embrace. "Don't worry... I'll help you hide when the time comes."

He laughed softly. "Thanks."

"Much obliged. After all, we're two thirds of SG-1."

"Uh... well, technically we're two fifths now that Major Lorne and Captain Hailey are covering for you. Oh, Jack's still pissed. He didn't want anyone taking his place, and we're now a five-piece."

She remarked with a slight smile as he opened the door for her, "I doubt whether he's as pissed as he makes out. He was brainstorming names for Junior the other day. Top of his list is 'Jack'."

He groaned. "You're kidding." They nodded in greeting at the shop assistant as they went about browsing the contents of the shop. He whispered, "I'm not naming our baby, Jack." He paused. "I don't even want to think about what else he may have suggested."

She smirked. "Good, because you're going to have the same songs stuck in your head that I do now." She sung under her breath as she looked at some baby cardigans, "'_You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back, where there is love, I'll be there..._'"

He grumbled as she continued to smirk. "I thought as much. I would have been worried if he _hadn't_ come up with that though." He looked at the cardigan that Sam held and smiled. "You know, it's hard to forget that we're getting a tiny little person in our lives. Look how small that is." They smiled at each other and then he held up a sleeve, amazed as he smoothed the woollen fabric with a thumb. He then glanced at her. "Where's that cute little outfit that you were talking about?" He smiled as she excitedly led him by the hand to another part of the shop.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Later, Daniel sat on the lounge floor of his and Sam's house with Sam sat in his arms. She closed her eyes as she rested her head back against his shoulder. "Daniel, I'm fine here. If I go to bed, you won't be able to hold me like this." She took a deep breath in an attempt to quell an uneasy feeling.

He tenderly kissed her brow as he held her tighter, and he whispered, his cheek resting against her hair, "Okay then. How are you feeling?"

"A little better." She frowned, feeling grumpy. "Why does the human gestational period have to be so slow? I have to spend a lot of months feeling like a whale, with cramped up legs, pains everywhere, and heartburn... and the little tyke's going to turn around in fifteen years time and tell me that I'm a rotten mother because I won't let him or her go partying."

He smiled in amusement at her grouchiness, and he said softly as he smoothed her bump, "Oh, Sam... you're doing great. You are definitely not a whale... and if Junior gives you grief like that, he or she's not going to get away with it, believe me."

She then began to cry. As he, worried, attempted to soothe her, she whispered hoarsely, "What if I lose you again?" She looked up at him, looking scared and in pain. "I nearly lost you when you saved Janet on 666. What if it happens again? What if I'm not so lucky the next time around?"

He shushed her, feeling upset as he dried her eyes. "Hey now, come on. Don't talk like that. We've got a baby to look forward to. Let's not think about things that are out of our control, and let's concentrate on what really matters, which is the here and now." He played with a strand of her hair as he gazed at her. "I just want you to know that marrying you was the happiest day of my life." He kissed her with a little smile. "And I will always find a way to come back to you somehow, I promise." His smile widened a little yet his eyes were moist. "I love you."

She looked down at her abdomen, crying quietly as she whispered, "I love you too."

They both looked up on hearing the front door unlock. Seconds later, Janet, Jack and Teal'c appeared. The Jacksons smiled in greeting, Daniel saying, "Hey, you guys. What's up?"

The three of them entered the room, Janet asking with a worried frown on realising that Sam had been crying, "What's going on?"

Daniel dried Sam's eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder again, her eyes closed. "It's been a long day."

Jack remarked as he fiddled with something on the mantle piece, "What have I told you about dragging Carter everywhere?"

Daniel rolled his eyes, and Jack looked at him. "You two decided on a name yet?"

Daniel replied, looking thoughtful as he looked down at his wife while Janet sighted the new baby clothes and went to have a look, "Not yet." He couldn't help but smile as he looked up. "We're not going for any on your list though."

Before Jack could reply, Teal'c remarked, "I see no reason why you would not name your children after the legendary singers of the Jackson family."

Jack smirked in amusement as Daniel retorted, "Teal'c. One word: Michael."

"Will your child resemble a faulty mannequin with a loose olfactory organ?"

Jack looked at Teal'c blankly as Daniel smirked in amusement at the term used, knowing that Teal'c had used it deliberately. Jack then wandered over to the baby clothes as Janet made her way over to the Jacksons. She crouched down beside them, glancing at Daniel as she smoothed Sam's hair, asking softly,

"Honey? How are you feeling?"

Without moving her body at all, Sam opened her eyes and looked at the doctor. "Tired."

Janet, worried, looked at Daniel. "Maybe you should take her to bed."

Daniel replied, raising his eyebrows briefly, "I tried, believe me. She'd rather be here." He paused and then noticed that Janet was about to say something. "And don't worry... I made sure that she ate and drank properly. I also made sure that she took plenty of breaks earlier. Her ankles aren't anywhere near as bad as they got last week."

Janet smiled. "Good. You take really good care of her."

Daniel shrugged a little as he looked down at Sam. "She's my wife."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Many months later, a grinning and teary-eyed Daniel emerged from an isolation room into the Infirmary at the SGC. In his arms he held a small squirming bundle, and as he came into the Infirmary, his friends gathered around him to see the new arrival. Daniel looked at the faces of all of his friends, but he walked past them, until he reached a slightly nervous looking Jacob, the elder Carter dressed in Tok'ra clothes. Daniel stood in front of his father-in-law and said, unable to stop smiling,

"Dad... I want you to meet your new granddaughter."

He carefully handed the baby to an overcome looking Jacob, making sure that the baby's head was supported before standing back and watching grandfather and granddaughter. Jacob smiled proudly down at the baby as a small fist grasped his index finger. As Jack and Teal'c put their arms around Daniel, Jacob looked up at his son-in-law.

"How's Sam?"

Daniel replied, his smile fading a little as his tiredness took hold, "Fine. She's sleeping."

Jack remarked as he hugged Daniel tighter, "Well, pushing out a Jackson must be hard work... you're hard to budge on a good day."

Janet emerged from the isolation room behind the throng with a nurse, and Jacob asked, "What are you naming her?"

Daniel stood closer to him to look down at the baby, and he replied, glancing at Jacob, "We both agreed on this." He paused. "Grace."

Jacob looked visibly moved by the name choice and Daniel was about to say something, when Jacob gazed down at his granddaughter, slowly stroking her cheek. "You couldn't have picked a better name for her." He whispered to Grace, "You're going to be a handful for your Daddy if you take after your Grandma and Mom." He tenderly kissed her forehead before, smiling, handing her back to Daniel. "Congratulations."

Daniel replied as he once more held his daughter in his arms, "And to you too."

Jacob patted him on his shoulder and said, noticing Janet's concern at the growing throng of people, "Go back to Sam. She needs you now." He smiled. "I'll see you both later."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam woke up in her isolation room on hearing the door close. She groaned softly, feeling overwhelmingly tired from her previous ordeal. She closed her eyes again, about to return to sleep when she heard Daniel's voice in a soft murmur, "Sam, it's just me." She groaned again as she opened her eyes, and she whispered weakly,

"Does Dad know?"

Daniel, cradling Grace, moved into view as he sat on the edge of her bed. He smiled as he smoothed the Colonel's hair back, replying quietly, "Jack called him. Dad's just outside. He's going to come in a little later. He loved the name choice... there was a comment about me having a handful if she takes after Grandma and Mommy."

She closed her eyes with a small smile and then opened them again when he got up. She watched him carefully lay their daughter down in her cot, noticing how he glowed when he smiled. She smiled too, although she didn't feel like glowing any time soon. Daniel returned to where he had been seated and he held her hand, asking as he looked concerned,

"How are you doing?"

She replied as she closed her eyes, frowning, "I can't answer that without cursing." She gazed up at him anxiously. "I can't do this. I'm going to suck as a Mom."

He pressed his lips together in worry. He then said, gently caressing her cheek, "You are going to do just fine, Sam." He kissed her. "If it helps, I'm scared too, but we're going to work it out." He looked close to tears as she began to cry. He held her in his arms and he kissed her hair. "I love you, Sam."

She sniffed, replying as she clung onto him, her eyes closed, "I love you."

"Do you want me to get Dad?"

She shook her head. "Just stay here, please."

"Okay." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Try to get some sleep. You'll feel better."

"I'm okay here." She smiled through her tears on feeling his heart beat against her cheek, and she closed her eyes as she recalled the hallucinations aboard the Prometheus, which now seemed like a lifetime ago. Before that mission, she had thought that she was happy, but afterwards, while spending more and more time with Daniel, she had learned what true happiness felt like. She knew what it felt like to be happy, to be loved and to give love, without fear of being hurt. In that moment, as Daniel held her, their baby behind her, she wished that there was a camera that could capture the sheer perfection. She was tired and she wanted nothing more to go to sleep, but she was happy.

– **Fin **

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_Thank you very much for the reviews, story favouriting/alerts, and PMs, guys!_


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